Loading...Joe John once again invited me to blog about Lent Madness. He and I learned about this unique saintly competition a few years ago while preparing a Lenten series for the parish on Episcopalian saints. In prior blogs I provided a daily play-by-play. This year’s approach looks at the saints differently which I will explain shortly.
But first, some background on the competition.
Lent Madness is a Lenten activity based on the college basketball phenomenon known as “March Madness”. In 2010, the Rev. Tim Schenk, an Episcopalian priest, introduced this activity to provide a fun opportunity to learn about some of the more or less familiar saints. Just like the basketball competition, 32 saints are paired off in single-elimination daily matches, and the ‘winners’ progress to the Saintly Sixteen, the Elate Eight, and the Faithful Four until one saint is crowned the winner of the Golden Halo on Wednesday of Holy Week.
To participate, simply go to the official Lent Madness website, click HERE,
Click on Get Lent Madness By Email and register your email address. Each day you will receive an email providing information about the saints and the opportunity to vote on your favorite in that day’s competition. There is no cost to play and anyone with a valid email address can participate.
Due to COVID-19’s impact on the church activities, Joe will not be posting the Lent Madness bracket in Gleason Hall. However, you can follow the updates at www.lentmadness.org/bracket
So, what will be different about this year’s blog?
St. Paul speaks of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
This year we will discuss the evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the 32 saints in Lent Madness. Each week for the next four weeks, we will focus on two or three of the fruits and look at examples of how their lives demonstrate the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, here is a closing message from the moderators of Lent Madness:
Taking our faith seriously—but not ourselves—is the essence of Lent Madness, and as it continues to grow and evolve, what won't change is the opportunity to meet some amazing people who have come before us in the faith. What we learn from the saints is that they, like us, are flawed human beings through whose lives Christ's love shone brightly. If this love can shine brightly in their lives, perhaps we too can be beacons of the Good News.
Schenck, Tim; Gunn, Scott. Saintly Scorecard 2021 . Forward Movement. Kindle Edition.
